Mizuki was surprised when Tooru himself delivered the food later. Her family greeted him affectionately. She gave him a cool, but not unfriendly greeting that surprised him.

Tooru smiled at her hesitantly and asked, "Has it been long enough that we can go back to being friends Mizuki?"

Sora pulled Mizuki into his arms possessively, and told him firmly, "No, she's mine now."

Mizuki gazed up at him with surprise.

Sora answered her look a little angrily with, "He hurt you, and he could have stepped up and told the truth to help defend you at any time. Even as just a friend he owed you that Mizuki. He doesn't deserve to have you take him back."

Her family and Tooru all stared at him with shocked expressions, except for her father who nodded thoughtfully, but added, "But she doesn't have to keep fighting with him either."

Sora shrugged and agreed after a moment, "That's true." After taking a deep breath he added, "And Mizuki can be friends with whoever she wants, but I don't like you."

Mizuki whispered, "I love you Sora."

Sora bent and kissed her, while Tooru protested, "All of those rumors about her are not my fault!"

Sora stiffened and looked up to glare at him.

"It's okay Sora, I don't care anymore," Mizuki said cheerfully. He gave her a doubtful look and she added, "Really Sora, it's fine."

"Okay," he agreed after a moment.

Tooru eyed them uncertainly, and escaped after a few more minutes of conversation with her mother and sister.

--

Shizune told Sora, "I had no idea you were so possessive."

Shinichi informed his wife, "I told you how much he hated letting her go."

Shizune shrugged and replied, "I thought you were exaggerating?"

Shusuke tugged on his grandmother's hand and asked plaintively, "Can we eat?"

Minori agreed, "Yes, in a minute."

Mizuki grinned at her nephew and agreed, "We should before it gets cold." She added to the rest of her family, "Sora's not possessive, he's just a little overprotective."

Junshiro told her with amusement, "Not that his reaction isn't understandable, but telling someone they can't be friends with you is possessive."

Mizuki frowned, and Sora assured her, "It's fine Mizuki, I am possessive of you."

"You didn't complain about me trading numbers with Katsuji-senpai !" Mizuki protested. "And you don't insist on knowing every detail of my life like the people in possessive relationships who create dramas at school."

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Sora grinned at her and bent to kiss her gently before replying, "That doesn't mean I'm not possessive of you Mizuki, it just means I trust you."

She blushed, and Tama-sama thumped authoritatively on the balcony door.

Minori rolled her eyes and complained as she dished up plates for her grandsons, "He knows food was delivered."

Shizune asked hopefully, "Can we let him in anyway? I haven't seen him in ages."

"You can let him in, but don't feed him anything but his own cat food," Junshiro ordered his middle daughter.

Shizune went and greeted Tama-sama lovingly before she returned to the table.

Shinichi stared at his wife and she asked, "What?"

"I had no idea you liked cats," he informed her. A moment later he asked a little plaintively, "Are you planning to have one when we get a house? Is this one yours?"

"He's not mine," Shizune protested quickly. "I'd like to have some sort of pet after the baby is a couple years old? I think it's good for children to be around them." She added quietly, "But it doesn't have to be a cat if you don't like cats?"

"I have no idea," Shinichi replied a little nervously, "I've never had a pet."

Mizuki looked at her sister's husband with a feeling of surprise that everyone but Shusuke seemed to share to some extent.

Shusuke informed his other new uncle, "I have never had a pet either. Ka-chan told me I can get one after I turn five, if I promise to feed it every day though."

Shinichi laughed. "That's a good point. If you get a pet, you have to be in charge of its care, okay Shizune?"

"Okay," Shizune replied with a grin, and shyly leaned over to kiss him.

Junshiro enquired after a moment, "When you get a house?"

Shizune blushed and admitted, "I asked Shinichi if we could move to somewhere close enough that I can visit, and get assistance with the baby if I need it. We're going to look for houses here this week."

Mizuki objected, "And waste the other half a year on your husband's lease?"

Shinichi insisted quickly, "That's not a problem, and if any of you want to go spend time there during the next half a year if we do find a good place, feel free. Shizune wants to have the baby here, near her mother."

Minori commented with amusement, "Her mother will feel a lot more comfortable that way too!"

--

When they finally went out for their date that evening, Sora sighed with relief as they got into the car.

Mizuki smiled affectionately at him and asked, "Are we tiring you out Sora?"

He shrugged and told her, "I'm not tired exactly, but I think I'm not used to dealing with so many people at once?"

Mizuki pointed out a little dryly, "And Kyo-nii-chan and Aka-nee-chan aren't even here."

"Sorry," Sora replied apologetically.

Mizuki reached out to pat his arm gently and insisted, "You don't need to be sorry for finding a whole day with my family overwhelming Sora."

--

They had left a little early so that they would have time to find parking, but they got lucky and found a place right away. They decided to go walking through the Christmas tree display until their reservation was ready.

"It's too bad it's not snowy, this is pretty but it would be really beautiful with snow," Sora commented after a bit.

Mizuki agreed, but complained with mild disgust, "It's not supposed to snow until next weekend."

Sora grinned and reminded her, "I'll still be here then, so maybe we can see our first snow together soon." Mizuki's face lit up, and he caressed her cheek and told her, "I really want to pick you up and kiss you right now."

"Okay, but just for a minute," she said agreeably.

He scooped her up before she could change her mind and kissed her deeply for more than a minute.

When he finally let her down, she laughed and told him, "I love you Sora."

"Me too," he agreed. "You're so adorable, and you look so sexy that I wish we were going back to my apartment instead of your bedroom with everyone present."

"Sorry, I work in the morning, there wouldn't be time to drive back and forth," Mizuki replied apologetically.

"I know," he assured her. "Shall we go claim our reservation?"

"Yes," Mizuki agreed cheerfully.